Paddle Carrier

The ships were called the Wolverine and the Sable I think. I'm sure someone can look up the acticale and see where he got his set. If no one beats me to it I'll look tonight.

I have a 1998 issue of Air Classics about the SBD squadrons that served aboard the Sable and Woverine. I'll try to look to see what month it was in.

Floating Drydock has on their website in the "What's New" section a set of plans for the Wolverine. I'm kind of curious as to WHERE these came from, as I was under the impression they were all destroyed during or right after the war in a fire. But, they are listed as being available.

Devin

What's a Paddle Carrier? I never heard of one.

Jim,

The paddlewheel carriers were two paddlewheel boats converted into training carriers during world war two. I believe that they were mostly used on Lake Michigan as there was a Naval Air Station near Chicago (NAS Glenview). As stated previously, their names were the Sable and the Wolverine. As a byproduct of their training missions, there are several world war two vintage aircraft scattered along the bottom of at least Lake Michigan (a coworker used to scuba dive many of these wrecks). The Airzoo, located in Kalamazoo, Michigan recently completed the restoration of an SBD that was retrieved from the bottom of Lake Michigan after being the casualty of one of these training accidents. I have seen a few articles and pictures of these ships over the years, and the adaptive decision by the Navy to move training inland was brilliant.

Here are links to 2 pages on navsource.org that might help. One is for the Sable and the other is for the Wolverine.
http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/46064.htm
http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/46081.htm

Thankyou Gentlemen that is the info that I needed!!
Dai

They converted them into carriers you got to be kiddin me right? I dont belive my eyes. That is so wierd.

Photo's don't lie my friend.

Acutaly the idea was briliant. Take the training into a non dangerous area, I'd like to see a u boat try to sail up to the Great lakes! Also a front line carrier was not talen out of service. The conversion may have cost a bit but not as much as building a new one.
Also as these ships were not armed a considerable cost saving was achieved in armaments and crew. The crew was about 250 officers and men.
The plans used for the model in FSM came from Great Lakes Research for the hull of the Seeandbee and from another museum for the actual conversion.
Dai

That is so amazing. I still cant believe it but as Tim says photos don't lie. They look so weird, the decks are so close to the water. At least it saems that way. I am glad I came across those images and this thread! I am one of the few who can list ALL of the carriers in US service since the Forrestall in order I mind you. I love the flattops. If I was permitted to serve, I would have tried to serve on one of them.

There's an issue of Fine Scale Modeler from last year or the year before that has an article on a scratch built Wolverine that someone did in a larger scale (1/192nd, I think). Really interesting ship, and a beautiful model.

Devin

Keep in mind that US submarines were built in Wisconsin, which is on the great lakes. The subs were sent through the Erie canal and out to the atlantic. A german U boat is not an Impossible idea, just not one that to my shallow knowledge ever happened

FYI,
There was a Great article on the in Sea Classics magazine back in the '80s.
The Naval Air Museum in Pensacola had a display on them and retrieved
wreck. I don't know if its still there.
Good Hunting,
G.W.